A standard backpach has a front panel whose front face sits against the back of the wearer and whose back face is adapted to carry a load. The load can be contained in a bag attached to this back face of the front panel or it can be secured rack-fashion to this panel.
The front panel, which is normally at least semirigid when any significant load is to be carried, is secured to the wearer by a pair of suspenders or shoulder straps having upper ends secured to an upper region of the panel and lower ends secured thereto lower down. The shoulder straps are of adjustable length to accommodate wearers of different sizes and serve to support the load of the pack. In addition a belt has a central portion connected to a lower region of the front of the front panel and is buckled around the wearer's waist to hold the pack in place.
It is known to provide several attachment locations for the upper ends of the shoulder straps to allow the pack to be worn high or low, depending on wearer preference. No such adjustment is provided normally for the belt, and even the shoulder adjustment requires an onerous disconnection and reconnection of the shoulder straps.
In general it is not possible to adjust the way the pack is carried to any fine degree. A tall wearer normally has the belt rather high on his or her torse, or must carry the pack fairly low, and a short wearer must carry the pack high or have the belt down around his or her hips. Furthermore the vertical location of the pack on the wearer's back is largely determined by the shluder-strap setting so that it cannot be varied independently therefrom.